Useful Tips &
Welcome to Our Residence I

Most information also applies to the Residence II in town

Greetings and Blessings to Our Volunteers

The Residence is a home for volunteers who want to serve the people of this area. We hope that God will grant you peace and rest while under our roof. May this house be your second home. May those you love be near you in your thoughts and dreams. Even though you might be with us only for a short time, we hope you will be as comfortable and happy as if you were in your own home. May you prosper in your profession and in your personal life. May every person that you meet while you are here add to your joy. When you leave, may your journey be safe. We are all travelers; from “birth till death”, we travel between the eternities. May these days be pleasant for you, profitable for others, helpful for those you meet, and joyful to those who know and love you best.

In and Around the House

Weekday Meals

Lunch is served at noon and dinner at 6 pm in the dining hall of the Convent. Please be punctual for the sake of the sisters, who have to catch afternoon buses for their pastoral work in other villages.

The Clinic closes for lunch hour. Patients do not expect you to work overtime; they are grateful for your service and don’t mind waiting their turn.

Let the Mother Superior know a day in advance if possible if you will be missing a meal.

Please make an attempt to speak Spanish and interact with the sisters and other non-clinic persons during mealtimes. It is an opportunity to socialize and learn local traditions and culture. There is communal dish washing after each meal.

Out of respect to the Sisters and other local staff, we ask that you please dress conservatively in the Mission. No short shorts, tank tops or beach clothes in the dining hall. In general, dress is more conservative than in Europe or the US. Please be considerate.

Water System, Water Pump and Drinking Water

The Residence is connected to the public drinking water system and it works fine most of the time. But not always!

Tap water is safe for cooking, showering, etc., but to be 100% safe we provide drinking water in large bottles. The empty bottles need to be brought to the Convent in order to be replaced.

There is a small reserve tank in the attic for use only when the water pressure is low. When multiple people are showering at the same time you have to turn on the water pump; the switch is located on the wall at the door of the kitchen pantry.

IMPORTANT: The water pump can overheat and cause toxic smoke! Never leave it turned on when you leave the house. Do not use it at night because it is noisy. When there is no more water in the reserve tank, the water pump will not provide more water! The water pump is only to increase the water pressure.

Do not use the washing machine when the water pressure is low. If you have doubts, please ask the “oldies” of the house.

Security

It is MOST IMPORTANT that all volunteers make sure that the front door “clicks” closed when entering and leaving the Residence. For your own sake and the safety of others, please collaborate!

Please do not prop open the downstairs door while doing laundry. It must also be locked at all times.

The same thing applies to the door of the verandah: that door must be kept closed when no one is in the house.

No one is allowed in the Residence unless they belong to the staff of the Clinic. Please respect this important rule!

Keep your bedroom door locked at all times.

Do not leave keys or valuables visible, or a table under an open window, to prevent “long fingers” from pilfering.

Also due to heavy and windy rainstorms we recommend to have nothing under an open window because it would get really wet.

Each bedroom is equipped with a metal safety box for your valuables. In order to put in your personal code, first push the red button in the back of the open door, then enter a number (3 to8 digits) followed by either A or B. Close the door. In order to open it, enter your number followed by A or B. If you have trouble, P. Jorge has a master key to open any box.

Do not go hiking alone in remote areas. Please let someone in the Mission know your plans so we can find you if you are missing. There is no search and rescue helicopter service and the nearest hospital is an hour away!

Most dogs you may encounter belong to locals and are docile, but use common sense. If a dog appears aggressive, picking up a stick or stone will usually send him on his way.

Mosquitoes and Other Creatures

You can leave the windows open during the day and night. Closing the curtains before dark will keep out most flying insects. There are few or no mosquitoes.

Sometimes before a heavy rain you might see flying ants around the light bulbs. They are not harmful.

Kill cockroaches if you see any in the house. There is usually bug spray in the hall closet, or it can be purchased in the village. You also might see the occasional spider, but they are usually harmless. We have to learn to co-exist with many animals in the rainforest!

You will probably not see any but there are snakes here, and some are venomous. Watch your step wherever you go. Rubber boots are recommended for hiking, especially in high grass areas.

Room Cleaning

Rubber boots

We recommend you wear rubber boots for hiking to protect against snakes. There are several pairs of different sizes in the boot closet downstairs. If they get muddy, please clean them outside behind the building before returning. Do not leave them outside so locals aren’t tempted to “borrow” them.

Everyone loves to put on clean boots. Please, also wash them well after using them.

Phone

International calls cannot be made from the phones in the Residence or the Clinic. Cell phone service is unavailable at the Mission. For international calls there is a public phone in the village, or you can Skype from the Residence computer or your laptop.

In and around the Clinic

After you arrive, please give a copy of your professional license to P. Jorge or to Amanda, needed for the Department of Health in Zamora.

A cooperative, congenial attitude when working with our staff and the other volunteers is extremely important for the ongoing success of our Mission Clinic.

Clinic hours are from 8 am to 5 pm, with a one-hour lunch break at noon. If there are no more patients in the afternoon, we fully understand that volunteers may occasionally want to go for a walk or visit the town, but please tell the clinic staff before you leave (Amanda or Mariana). It is however appreciated if you would remain on stand-by in the Residence in case more patients should come in the afternoon.

Please keep in mind that the Clinic staff have families at home and their workday ends at 5 pm, so we ask you to finish your work so they can leave on time. We can best serve others and avoid “burn out” by setting boundaries for ourselves, such as sticking to a regular schedule. Please advise Amanda and Mariana each morning how many patients you feel you can see so that you don’t have to work past 5:00 pm. We understand there are exceptions but this is our norm.

We appreciate your wearing scrubs as Clinic clothing so that you are recognizable as a doctor, dentist or nurse to the patients. But before each meal at the sisters house we aks you to change into your personal clothing.

In all Clinic matters Amanda Anderson is the Coordinator and the authority and we thank you for collaborating well with her. In special cases P. Jorge Nigsch, Director of the Clinic, is also ready to help to solve whatever problem might arise.

For the dentists it is important to know that we have to be super careful within the community of other dentists of the Province, so as not to be viewed as in competition with them. For that reason, it is strictly forbidden for the dental volunteers to provide any services for patients independent of the Clinic.

We welcome volunteers of all faiths to work in our Catholic Mission Clinic. We understand that you may not agree with all Catholic values, but we ask you to kindly respect them while you are here. The Catholic ethic respects life from its conception and therefore we ask you to neither practice nor encourage abortion. You are also in Ecuador where abortion is illegal.

Primary health care volunteers are encouraged to educate our patients about the Billings Method of natural family planning. This affordable birth control method places the responsibility on both the husband and the wife, and encourages communication between them. Copies of the Billings Metod are available in the Clinic.